The men and the women in the story have decidedly different outlooks, sympathies, and insights, and perhaps even different views of justice. Carefully describe those differences. With which group do you most sympathize, and why? (Before answering the question, try to make a positive case for each group.)
The men are looking for a motive in the murder. However, they look past important details and are unable to find the motive. They are cold and calculating and searching for the cold hard facts. However, because the facts involve more than a surface look at the environment of the home, they are not able to piece together the clues. The women take the time to understand where Minnie’s emotional state is before the murder. Their initial objective behind being at the house is based purely on empathy; they are there to gather things that will comfort Minnie in prison. I think as a woman; I sympathize with Minnie Wright and the women. While murder is never excusable, it is important to find the context in which the murder occurred. She was clearly a victim in a loveless relationship and she empowers herself to overcome the power struggle in her marriage. One thing the video adds is the fact that women were not allowed to serve on juries at the time. This meant that if she were to go to trial, only men would serve on her jury and would therefore not be a jury of her peers.
What enables the women to discover the motive for murder? Why do the men in the story overlook it?
The women piece together the mystery after discovering the dead canary wrapped in silk. This shows that John Wright likely killed the bird and Minnie snapped after the culmination of a conflictive marriage. The men do not bother looking at Minnie’s things because they are “trifles.” They look at the surface of the home environment without taking time to think about the emotional environment of the home.
Why do the women withhold the evidence that would have supplied the motive? Are they knowingly rendering a verdict of “not guilty”? Or are they forgiving her for the murder?
They silently collude to protect Minnie because they know that if the men discover the motive, she will be imprisoned for life or worse. They show empathy towards Minnie because they likely understand how she felt. As stated in the video, John Wright killed Minnie Wright’s spirit. Ms. Hale exhibits guilt and remorse over not playing a bigger role in Minnie’s life. By absolving Minnie of the murder, she is also absolving herself of her guilt.
Do you approve of their decision? What would you have done in their place? Does your answer depend on your sex (or the sex of the accused)? On the historical time in which the crime took place? Or something else? If the person killed were a brother of yours, would your answer be different?
I approve of their decision and would have likely done the same thing in their place. Justice would not have been served because she would not have been tried by a jury of her peers. I think being a woman does cause me to act out of female solidarity. However, I believe that Minnie being tried would not have been serving true justice. I think if John Wright had been my brother, I would have (hopefully) found a way to intervene before things reached this stage. This was clearly a conflictive marriage that needed help.
- The men and the women in the story have decidedly different outlooks, sympathies, and insights, and perhaps even different views of justice. Carefully describe those differences. With which group do you most sympathize, and why? (Before answering the question, try to make a positive case for each group.)
The men are looking for a motive in the murder. However, they look past important details and are unable to find the motive. They are cold and calculating and searching for the cold hard facts. However, because the facts involve more than a surface look at the environment of the home, they are not able to piece together the clues.The women take the time to understand where Minnie’s emotional state is before the murder. Their initial objective behind being at the house is based purely on empathy; they are there to gather things that will comfort Minnie in prison.
I think as a woman; I sympathize with Minnie Wright and the women. While murder is never excusable, it is important to find the context in which the murder occurred. She was clearly a victim in a loveless relationship and she empowers herself to overcome the power struggle in her marriage. One thing the video adds is the fact that women were not allowed to serve on juries at the time. This meant that if she were to go to trial, only men would serve on her jury and would therefore not be a jury of her peers.
- What enables the women to discover the motive for murder? Why do the men in the story overlook it?
The women piece together the mystery after discovering the dead canary wrapped in silk. This shows that John Wright likely killed the bird and Minnie snapped after the culmination of a conflictive marriage. The men do not bother looking at Minnie’s things because they are “trifles.” They look at the surface of the home environment without taking time to think about the emotional environment of the home.They silently collude to protect Minnie because they know that if the men discover the motive, she will be imprisoned for life or worse. They show empathy towards Minnie because they likely understand how she felt. As stated in the video, John Wright killed Minnie Wright’s spirit. Ms. Hale exhibits guilt and remorse over not playing a bigger role in Minnie’s life. By absolving Minnie of the murder, she is also absolving herself of her guilt.
I approve of their decision and would have likely done the same thing in their place. Justice would not have been served because she would not have been tried by a jury of her peers. I think being a woman does cause me to act out of female solidarity. However, I believe that Minnie being tried would not have been serving true justice. I think if John Wright had been my brother, I would have (hopefully) found a way to intervene before things reached this stage. This was clearly a conflictive marriage that needed help.